Previews

The Matrix Online Impressions -- Part II

We take a close look at Matrix Online's combat system and share our thoughts on the experience.

Spiffy:

Combat looks cool, and feels impactful; combat-focused characters can take a variety forms.

Iffy:

No real effective way to battle more than one enemy at a time.

Last week's hands-on preview focused primarily on the underlying systems behind The Matrix Online. Now that we've had some more time to play, we're taking a more focused look at the game experience; more specifically, the game's combat system. Since many of today's MMOs are largely defined by the quality of their combat mechanics, it's a topic certainly worthy of discussion.

MxO's "Interlock" combat system, as advertised, does seem to deviate significantly enough from the norm, especially in terms of visual dynamics. More so than in most games of this type, there's a tangible sense of impact to close-quarters combat (when it's functioning properly, that is). The system also strikes me as having been designed primarily for close-up fights; the minute you draw a gun, or start "hacking" your opponents to death, things go down in a pretty orthodox fashion. Ultimately, it makes sense that the priority would be given to this aspect of combat, given how just how much the Matrix films were defined by their off-the-wall fighting sequences.

At its core, the system isn't too different from what you've seen in other MMOs. It's just the mechanics that are unique. You're still monitoring your avatar as it automatically battles its opponent -- you'll just be inputting commands more frequently, and paying closer attention to the sorts of attacks that your enemies are employing.

A neat interface allows you to easily make sense of this "paper-rock-scissors" dynamic: both combatants' attacks, represented as iconic tiles, float into a box as they're executed. When the avatars perform the moves, "dice rolls" are tallied, with the winner's attack actually connecting. Then the next moves on queue take effect, until one of the fighters drops.

Special moves serve to mix things up a bit. These are attacks that you can execute when your opponents are hit with a certain status affliction as a result of your battery -- when they're staggered, for instance, you can hit them with a headbutt. Or when you're sneaking, you can bust out a devastating leg-trip. Sure, it's essentially a flashy variant of the "sneak attack" move found in most online RPGs, but it's executed with just the amount of flair you'd expect from The Matrix.

So far, however, it seems that the battles are designed almost exclusively for one-on-one encounters. As in any MMO, you're going to encounter enemies hanging around the game's areas, most often in groups. If you choose to engage one, it's all Interlock -- until one of its cohorts chooses to jump in. At this point, it's been difficult to engage more than one enemy. You either have to focus on one and move to the next once the first drops, or haphazardly engage and disengage, and battle them both at once. It doesn't seem that the system, in its current form, is very conducive to Interlocking with more than one opponent at a time, which is a shame, as that could make for some pretty exciting combat sequences. Hopefully, that kind of update is in the works.